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en-usEngadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronicsCopyright 2018 AOL Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/15/guild-wars-2-celebrates-the-holidays-with-a-player-murder-spree/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/15/guild-wars-2-celebrates-the-holidays-with-a-player-murder-spree/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/15/guild-wars-2-celebrates-the-holidays-with-a-player-murder-spree/#comments

Don't get too comfy and cozy with that hot cocoa and crackling fire; Guild Wars 2 is calling all fighters to arms for epic PvP conflict over the next month. Today, the team posted details for the game's two upcoming PvP events, both starting tomorrow and ending on January 13th.

The fun and casualties begin with the WvW Sneak Attack event, which will change some of the established rules for this setting to make it harder to see who is attacking what and give a bonus to experience and rewards earned. Then the team is testing out a PvP ladder season, with prizes such as mini llamas and glorious hero's armor pieces to those who kick and claw their way up the rankings.

Most PvP contests require you to actually be good at PvP. That seems fair, really, just as cooking contests generally work best when they feature people who are at least passingly familiar with cooking. But the two new Guild Wars 2 WvW contests don't actually require you to be any good at WvW, just good at showing the feature off. ArenaNet has partnered with Overwolf to kick off two WvW contests that are all about promoting and celebrating WvW, even if you aren't much of a player.

The first contest is looking for the players who use the Overwolf application while streaming, aiming for the highest number of concurrent viewers on Twitch. Whoever wins gets some SteelSeries peripherals as well as 8,000 gems. Meanwhile, if that's not your thing, you can also create a WvW War Report, share it via YouTube, and be eligible to win 5,000 gems if your offering is the best. So it's not about your PvP skill here, just about your ability to entertain people via that skill (or lack thereof).

"We want to fight by your side, experience the ups and downs, have fun and learn together with you how to make a better WvW experience," the studio posted. "We are going to be looking for guilds in different leagues who wish to host a dev. They will participate in your activities and fight for the honor of your world and guild!"

There are, of course, several rules for this sort of thing that boil down to "please don't abuse our devs and make them your slave monkeys." Interested guilds can apply for adoption by sending in a PM to John Corpening.

Specifically, the team is adding a new Siege Golem Mastery ability line, which renders your character "an unstoppable juggernaut of destruction" with super speed, AoE healing effects, and (of course) an ejection seat to amuse your guildies.

ArenaNet will also add consumable tricks; the first, called a Siege Disabler, is deployed like a grenade and disables weapons and golems and can be purchased with badges and coins rather than karma.

Last week, ArenaNet wrapped up Guild Wars 2's two-parter story arc, The Dragon's Reach. It's a doozy, especially since part one of the chapter was, in my opinion, the weakest of the living world story's second season so far. It wasn't bad, mind you; it just didn't leave me staring at my calendar in thwarted anticipation the way previous installments did.

Part two brings that feeling back, which is almost too bad since we're going to be waiting until autumn for the story to start up again. In the meantime, we've got a bunch of stuff to talk about, so jump past the cut -- but only if you're cool with spoilers for pretty much everything.
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anetarenanetbuy-to-playcanachcountess-anisefantasyfeature-pack-2featuredflameseeker chroniclesflameseeker-chroniclesguild wars 2guild-warsguild-wars-2gwgw1gw2living-worldloremordremothncsoftopinionpatchesthe-dragons-reachworld-vs-worldTue, 19 Aug 2014 12:00:00 -0400319|20948047https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/11/flameseeker-chronicles-guild-wars-2s-adventures-in-babysitting/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/11/flameseeker-chronicles-guild-wars-2s-adventures-in-babysitting/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/11/flameseeker-chronicles-guild-wars-2s-adventures-in-babysitting/#comments

I'm having a great time in Guild Wars 2's new Edge of the Mists map. It's rekindled my love of World vs. World. I've spent so much time there that I've gotten pretty good at not accidentally running off ledges (although I've probably just jinxed myself), and my collections of empyreal fragments and badges of honor are steadily growing.

Against all odds, I also managed to tear myself away long enough to write this column, which is good because there's a lot to talk about this week: What's so great about this cluster of floating rocks? How is Braham handling his new caretaking responsibilities? Why do people keep referencing the Zerg from Starcraft when they talk about GW2?
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anetarenanetbraham-eirssonbuy-to-playedge-of-the-mistsfantasyfeaturedflameseeker chroniclesflameseeker-chroniclesguild wars 2guild-warsguild-wars-2gwgw1gw2living-worldncsoftopinionpvpscarlet-briartaimiworld-vs-worldwvwzerg-rushTue, 11 Feb 2014 12:00:00 -0500319|20826118https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/04/flameseeker-chronicles-living-on-the-edge-of-the-mists-in-gui/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/04/flameseeker-chronicles-living-on-the-edge-of-the-mists-in-gui/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/04/flameseeker-chronicles-living-on-the-edge-of-the-mists-in-gui/#comments

Regular readers of this column may have noticed that I spend very little time discussing Guild Wars 2's PvP scene. Some of you may have even jumped to the conclusion that this is because I suck at PvP and my only reason for even entering the Mists-based sPvP lobby is to try on clothes in the locker, so I'm here today to set the record straight: You are absolutely correct.

I do enjoy World vs. World, both in spite of and because I am terrible at traditional team-based PvP activities -- unless you count some specialeventminigames, which I am inexplicably OK at. On the whole, ArenaNet has done a pretty good job in GW2 at giving someone who has no business trying to poke fancy cutlery at other players avenues through which to do it anyway without bringing the whole structure crashing down.
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anetarenanetbuy-to-playcultureedge-of-the-mistsfantasyfeaturedflameseeker chroniclesflameseeker-chroniclesfrostbiteguild wars 2guild-warsguild-wars-2gwgw1gw2living-worldncsoftopinionplayer-vs-playerpvpworld-vs-worldwvwTue, 04 Feb 2014 12:00:00 -0500319|20821347https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/04/guild-wars-2s-edge-of-the-mists-content-release-goes-live-today/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/04/guild-wars-2s-edge-of-the-mists-content-release-goes-live-today/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/04/guild-wars-2s-edge-of-the-mists-content-release-goes-live-today/#comments

Good news first: Guild Wars 2 players will be able to get their hands on the new World vs. World map Edge of the Mists in today's content update. Now for the bad news: Scarlet Briar's minions will be able to get their hands on it, too. If you want to help Braham Eirsson and Taimi, who have gotten themselves stranded on the mysterious floating land mass, then you'll need to fight off Scarlet's invading Aetherblades. Back in Tyria at the Dead End Bar, players can also help Marjory Delaqua and Kasmeer Meade puzzle out the terrible truth behind Scarlet's grand plan using clues from previous living world chapters.

Edge of the Mists is a dedicated overflow map that will allow GW2 players to jump right in to playing WvW while queuing up for the bigger battle on the Eternal Battlegrounds and Borderlands maps. This release also features an overhaul of the WvW UI to make it more informative and streamlined.
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anetarenanetbrahambraham-eirssonbuy-to-playedge-of-the-mistsfantasyguild wars 2guild-wars-2gw2kasmeer-meadeliving-storyliving-worldmarjory-delaquancsoftpatchespvpscarlet-briartaimiworld-vs-worldTue, 04 Feb 2014 09:05:00 -0500319|20822268https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/01/30/guild-wars-2-edge-of-the-mists-qanda-with-devon-carver/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/01/30/guild-wars-2-edge-of-the-mists-qanda-with-devon-carver/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/01/30/guild-wars-2-edge-of-the-mists-qanda-with-devon-carver/#comments

It's a good thing Devon Carver, head of the WvW design team, has penned a blog post about the real business of WvW: players punting each other into the formless void of the Mists. Massively got to chat with him about the upcoming release, so jump past the break to get the scoop on what the WvW team has in store!

There's been a small (but not insignificant) change to the way Guild Wars 2 determines world-vs.-world matchups. The official dev blog on the matter explains that, in the beginning, WvW matchups were chosen "by sorting all worlds in order of their Glicko rating, then counting off sets of three." As a result, matchups were often between the same three worlds, so ArenaNet introduced matchup variance to counter that problem.

However, it appears that the devs have made an adjustment to the matchup variance formula that causes the range of worlds with which a given server can be matched to be "greatly reduced." The idea behind the new formula is that "There will be fewer matches where one or two worlds are potentially steamrolled, though it comes at the cost of seeing more of the same worlds." That's all that the average GW2 player needs to know, but if you're interested in the math and statistics behind the change, check out the full post at the game's official site.

In addition, Fractals of the Mists will be getting a coat of polish on rewards, progression and Agony resistance. This release will also include the opening of an arena in World vs. World's Obsidian Sanctum, giving players a dedicated space in which to beat on each other mercilessly for the fun of it. Have at you! Enjoy the new trailer after the break.
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aetherbladesanetarenanetbuy-to-playdungeonsellen-kielendgamefantasyfractalsfractals-of-the-mistsfracturedguild wars 2guild-wars-2gw2ncsoftobsidian-sanctumpatchesthaumanova-reactorworld-vs-worldTue, 19 Nov 2013 11:30:00 -0500319|20771563https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/11/05/flameseeker-chronicles-cultivating-positive-growth-in-guild-war/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/11/05/flameseeker-chronicles-cultivating-positive-growth-in-guild-war/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/11/05/flameseeker-chronicles-cultivating-positive-growth-in-guild-war/#comments

Guild Wars 2'sTower of Nightmares release has been with us for the past week, transforming formerly beautiful (if centaur-populated) Kessex Hills into a toxic wasteland. The source of the devastation is a massive, thistle-topped structure in Viathan Lake, which was built and defended by the Krait and Nightmare Court. A whole lot of mystery is tied up in that thing, from Krait religion to Nightmare ambitions to the involvement of Scarlet Briar, but Marjory Delaqua and her partner Kasmeer Meade are on the case. The Pact has also gotten involved by aiding with research and demolishing the tower plant's offshoots, which are spreading on the wind like dandelions, only I wouldn't recommend adding them to salads, and they're not fluffy.

The ArenaNet team responsible for this release has made some praiseworthy improvements over previous releases, which supports the idea that GW2's living world is still a work in progress with lots of room to grow. Combined with some interesting developer responses from the collaborative development initiative, I think it paints a promising picture of where the story is going in the upcoming months.
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anetarenanetbobby-steinbuy-to-playcdichris-whitesidecolin-johansoncollaborative-developmentcollaborative-development-initiativedevon-carverfantasyfeaturedflameseeker chroniclesflameseeker-chroniclesgender-disparityguild wars 2guild-warsguild-wars-2gwgw1gw2jonathan-sharpkasmeer-meadekraitliving-storyliving-worldloremarjory-delaquancsoftnightmare-courtopinionpatchesscarlet-briarshippingskimpy-armorstructured-pvptower-of-nightmarestoxic-allianceworld-vs-worldTue, 05 Nov 2013 16:00:00 -0500319|20760069https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/10/18/guild-wars-2-will-add-the-edge-of-the-mists-to-world-vs-world/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/10/18/guild-wars-2-will-add-the-edge-of-the-mists-to-world-vs-world/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/10/18/guild-wars-2-will-add-the-edge-of-the-mists-to-world-vs-world/#comments

If you're a fan of Guild Wars 2's large-scale PvP gameplay mode, World vs. World, there's some good news coming your way: ArenaNet is developing a new map called Edge of the Mists, and it's designed to add spice to WvW gameplay and help alleviate some of the ongoing difficulties with queue times. We were invited to a conference call with Game Design Lead Jon Peters, where he let us in on some of the details and philosophy behind this new content.

Guilds can apply to be part of an upcoming beta test and help shape the development of this new addition as well. Following on the heels of recent WvW additions such as Borderlands Bloodlust and World Experience Points, ArenaNet plans for Edge of the Mists to be the gateway to even more improvements.
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anetarenanetbuy-to-playedge-of-the-mistseternal-battlegroundsfantasyfeaturedguild wars 2guild-wars-2gw2interviewinterviewsjon-petersncsoftpreviewspvptestingupcoming-releasesworld-vs-worldwvwFri, 18 Oct 2013 09:00:00 -0400319|20748547https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/09/16/borderlands-bloodlust-in-guild-wars-2s-world-vs-world/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/09/16/borderlands-bloodlust-in-guild-wars-2s-world-vs-world/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/09/16/borderlands-bloodlust-in-guild-wars-2s-world-vs-world/#comments

Changes are coming to Guild Wars 2 in tomorrow's Tequatl Rising patch, and not all of them have to do with dragons. ArenaNet'sDevon Carver has written a blog post to let fans of World vs. World know what they can expect to see after the implementation of the new Borderlands Bloodlust buff -- and what they can expect not to see. The lakes in the center of the Borderlands maps are being replaced with Ruins of Power, which will provide benefits to the world that manages to capture and hold them.

Players must capture three of the five ruins to access one rank of Borderlands Bloodlust, which will provide players from that world with a significant boost to stats. The downside is that the ruins must be defended from nasty, off-world Mist invaders (otherwise known as your fellow players) to prevent them from capturing your ruins and stealing your buff. Carver also discusses the philosophy behind the changes, which are meant to give players fun reasons to fight each other instead of krait and quaggan NPCs.

The entry is broken down into an analysis of the feature's current state as well as ANet's immediate and long-term goals. Among the latter are plans to address the zerg, player roles, and matchups and matchup scoring.

"Right now our game rewards you for holding an objective, not necessarily for taking it, and overwhelmingly favors the last server to log out for the day," Carver says. "We have some ideas in the pipeline to try to increase scoring when people are playing the game and to make it much more difficult to keep your territory without actively guarding it."

In other GW2 news, the dev team released a new video yesterday that focuses on the lore behind the Last Stand at Southsun and how it affects the game's "living story." Watch it after the break.

The big baddie of Guild Wars 2's recent living story has been called out. He's Canach, a renegade who thinks that that the answer to every urban planning problem is "more monsters." The Sylvari is behind a plot to use the creatures of Southsun to free settlers from the grasp of the Consortium.

A showdown with Canach is set to happen when the next chapter of the game's living story rolls out on May 28. The update, titled Last Stand at Southsun, will contain a solo dungeon where players will go mano-a-planto with Canach. ArenaNet says that those who defeat Canach will then open up new group content to tackle.

Other changes on deck include a zone-stomping monster and plenty of changes to world-vs.-world content. Southsun living story events, achievements, and rewards will be available until June 11th.

Right after finally crafting The Flameseeker Prophecies, I took my in-game efforts down a couple of notches. As a result, I've had a few fairly quiet weeks in Guild Wars 2. It's not for lack of things to do or of goals; I've still got plans for oodles of armor sets, a few of the pseudo-legendary weapons, a double-handful of additional level 80 characters, and some titles. I've just been taking a more laid-back approach to achieving those goals. For the last month or so before getting my shield I was running two to three dungeons a day along with other things like camping meta events and going into Orr for T6 mats, which is by no means hardcore but has made for a very pleasant experience switching into a lower gear. I've been taking time to enjoy the simpler pleasures of Guild Wars 2.

Guild Wars 2 World vs. World players, take note: ArenaNet is changing the time that it resets the matches. According to a quick post on the forums, the time is changing from 8:00 p.m. EDT on Fridays to 6:00 p.m. EDT. This was done to balance convenience between North American and European players, although west coast players have pointed out that the reset change makes it decidedly inconvenient for them. The new reset time goes into effect this Friday.

It's patch day! Today marks the arrival of the long-awaited World vs. World patch for Guild Wars 2. There are, of course, many other things being bundled into this month's big update, but WvW might be stealing the show a bit.

Of course, WvW updates probably mean hideously long waiting times as folks hop in to check out the new shinies, so how about you go ahead and queue up for whichever Battleground you prefer, and we'll talk about the details of this patch while you wait.
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anetarenanetbountybuy-to-playcullingfantasyfeaturedflame-and-frostflame-and-frost-the-razingflameseeker chroniclesflameseeker-chroniclesgame mechanicsguildguild wars 2guild-missionsguild-warsguild-wars-2gwgw1gw2march-patchncsoftopinionpatchpatchespreviewsthe-razingupdateupdatesworld-rankworld-vs-worldworld-xpwvwwxpTue, 26 Mar 2013 12:00:00 -0400319|20516138https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/22/guild-wars-2-adding-flame-and-frost-the-razing-update-next-week/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/22/guild-wars-2-adding-flame-and-frost-the-razing-update-next-week/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/22/guild-wars-2-adding-flame-and-frost-the-razing-update-next-week/#comments

On March 26th, the third installment of the four-part Flame and Frost series in Guild Wars 2 erupts on servers. In this update, the land of Tyria will come under attack by an army composed of the dredge and the charr Flame Legion, whose sole purpose is to completely raze the land and destroy everyone in the way. This threat will burst through the fiery portals in the Shiverpeaks, and denizens of the land need help to defend themselves to avoid annihilation.

Plenty of new features accompany this update, giving players multiple ways to help neutralize this threat, from two new NPCs whose stories and missions send players into the fray to dredge-constructed spy outposts that must be found and destroyed. World-vs.-world gets a facelift with a new progression system that includes new abilities and the elimination of culling. About a week after The Razing goes lives, players will be able to peruse the new GW2 leaderboards, where WvW rankings, PvP player rankings, and total achievement points will all be listed.
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anetarenanetbuy-to-playcullingfantasyflame-and-frostflame-and-frost-the-razingfree-to-playguild wars 2guild-wars-2gw2leaderboardsncsoftnews itemspatchespvepvpupdateworld-vs-worldwvwvwFri, 22 Mar 2013 14:00:00 -0400319|20514873https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/14/its-the-end-of-culling-as-we-know-it-in-guild-wars-2-wvw/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/14/its-the-end-of-culling-as-we-know-it-in-guild-wars-2-wvw/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/14/its-the-end-of-culling-as-we-know-it-in-guild-wars-2-wvw/#comments

Have you noticed anything missing when participating in Guild Wars 2's world-vs.-world battles -- a little something like, say, enemies? That would be culling. In order to limit bandwidth and reduce client-side system requirements, ArenaNet instituted this process which limited how many characters would render on players' screens. However, a side-effect for those who entered WvW in large groups was that many enemies couldn't be seen even at close range. To end this invisible enemy phenomenon, culling is being culled from WvW.

In place of that system, ArenaNet is offering new options to customize how characters will be rendered on the battlefield. Players can choose exactly how many characters will be rendered in each of the following ways: as high resolution models, as low resolution models, and as just nameplates. These changes will be implemented in the March 26th patch.

ArenaNet trotted out a trio of game devs yesterday to answer your Guild Wars 2 questions via livestream. The vidcast has since been archived on the company's TwitchTV channel, and we've also embedded it just past the cut for your convenience.

If you felt disappointed that ArenaNet left Guild Wars 2's World vs. World out of its video splurge last week, consider this: Maybe the studio was saving the best for last. In any case, today we're finally treated to an overview of the WvW system in the game, narrated by the devs.

World vs. World is arguably the centerpiece of PvP combat in the game. Taking place across four massive maps, WvW pits three factions of players against each other in an attempt to conquer keeps, control supply lines, and bring the pain to their fellow man (or Sylvari).

You can check out the WvW video after the jump!
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anetarenanetbetabetasdev-diarydev-videofantasyguild wars 2guild-wars-2gw2ncsoftplayer-vs-playerpvpvideoworld-vs-worldwvwThu, 02 Aug 2012 10:00:00 -0400319|20291711https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/07/18/arenanet-presents-wvw-improvements-and-server-list-for-final-bet/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/07/18/arenanet-presents-wvw-improvements-and-server-list-for-final-bet/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/07/18/arenanet-presents-wvw-improvements-and-server-list-for-final-bet/#comments

In answer to some concerns about launch, Ferguson announced that the 24-hour match length that players are familiar with from the betas will be used until servers are consistently being matched properly. At that time, matches will move to the two-week format that WvW is meant to take.

In the same post, Ferguson listed the servers available for the final beta, which is noticeably shorter than the previous list. The world population limit has been "greatly increased," due both to the additional areas that will be open for player exploration and to some adjustment in how the team is handling its tech. Players should note that this is the initial list and the team is prepared to launch new worlds should the need arise.

[Update] ArenaNet has posted a few extra details on the official forums, world transfers will be free from the start of the beta until 9:00 p.m. EDT on July 21st. Gem cost for transfers after that time will be 1800 gems to transfer to a high-population world, 1000 gems to transfer to a medium-population world, and 500 gems for a low-population world.

The interview took a good hard look at World vs World. To begin with, Flannum addresses concerns about people not being able to play WvW on busy servers during peak hours, saying that there's a queue for the center WvW map that players can enter while playing PvE or any of the Borderlands home maps. Additionally, for a short while around the game's launch, players will be able to transfer servers at a reduced fee, which will hopefully aid in the even spread of players across servers and help people find the WvW server that suits their style. He states that the current looting system for WvW is under review, with the goal of keeping WvW looting similar to that in PvE. In response to concerns about the travel time around WvW maps, Flannum points out that captured keeps can be upgraded with waypoints for quicker travel. He also highlights WvW-specific armor, achievements, and titles as character advancement options for WvW players.

A few other aspects of the game were covered as well. The question of allowing players to choose their starting weapons in character creation was brought up; Flannum says that's actually a part of the game at one point, but it was discarded once it was clear it gave newer players a disadvantage. He explains that some of the animation issues players complained about are due to bugs that will be fixed, while others are due to the fact that while transition animations are in place for switching directions, characters actually start moving immediately in the new direction as opposed to transitioning from one movement to another.

For all the little details, be sure to catch the full interview, complete with a teasing non-answer about whether or not we'll see the Sylvari or Asura in the last beta weekend.